Let's Go!

Deep Breaths....relax.....it will all come together...
We got word from our French moving company that our container could be here today!! what?! no warning? Oh, but wait, after we tried calling her, faxing her, emailing her - since we couldn't leave her a message on her phone, sweet Nathalie and Russell finally connected and she realized she had her days mixed up. "Oh no, it could be Friday or Monday", she said. "We are still doing paperwork but the container has been released," she said.

Russell is rushing to the Mairie's office to give them a letter on the dates so we can get cars off our front door step (literally). The Mairie's ofc wanted at least 48 hrs. notice. Jack hammers, trucks and beeping are all around us. Sidewalks are biting the dust, houses reverberating and now they are at the corners of our building. yikes! This 500 year old beauty can take anything. How many wars and revolutions have there been? I hope they don't come in front and tear down our sidewalk at this inconvenient time. If they do, then the truck will not be able to park near our house and we were told they will charge extra for being farther away. One would think it wouldn't matter now since WE are doing the unloading. For 2 hrs. of unloading there is no extra charge. 80 euros per hour will be charged for anything over 2 hrs. just to hang around. Hopefully that won't be an issue since we are unloading and unpacking everything.

Yesterday was a whirlwind day finishing up working on our association logo, writing bad French for the flyer (which will get corrected) and setting up a new gmail email for the association. My Teacher book for younger students from Oxford University Press English curriculum just arrived today. It's called "Let's Go" for elementary students. I am offering classes to older students too if they need more help to practice English/Art. The advanced teacher/pupil books and audio CD may come in a few days. I will design my art projects around the English lessons.   It's all coming together and getting responses from 3 of our landlords friends, to help us get connected with the families. Yay! Pauline and Simon are on the board with us in this association even though they live in New Zealand now. They are well known in the community so this will help us get going. 

Most people don't get back from holiday until Aug. 27th & then everything is in high gear to get the kids ready for school and clubs. School starts September 3rd. Sign-up day for the associations (aka clubs) is on the 7th. Pray that we will be able to get a table for this sign-up day. That will be a huge help for getting registrations. We were told by some on our team that this may not be possible for a new start-up. They usually make new assoc. wait a year to be asked to join in. Pauline wrote a personal letter to the Mairie's office giving us an introduction and telling them we are all involved in this association. The mayor was happy to see them restore the building. We are hopeful. Our success in this helps them to pay for the building costs from the fees we generate on the classes.  

Russell is ordering a banner today or tomorrow with the logo and saying we are offering classes in English and Art. This will hang outside the building over the sidewalk so all can see this flying in the wind as they drive by. People will see we are up to something. I have curtains in the windows now. Monsieur across the street, probably in his 60s or 70, with a red face and a little dog, will be standing outside watching all this and as our container is unloaded. He and the neighborhood will see all this "stuff and furniture being brought in. We are going to leave the front door open during the days now if someone wants to stop by. They are curious and may want to ask questions. We are hoping so. Monsieur across the way has not yet responded to our "bonjour!" He knows we are driving Simon's car and I know he is very curious. I am hoping soon that we can actually speak to him or that he will speak to us. Simon knew him well and we need to communicate to him that Simon is our friend and sends his greetings. Russell is going to try to be more assertive with him to catch his attention. The older the person in France the harder it is to get them to talk with you if you are a stranger. The younger ones are not that way at all.

We have a "Fete d' Inaugaration" in our storefront set for September 15th in the afternoon offering refreshments and getting acquainted with families regarding the classes, answering questions, etc. There is one official student so far who used to be a student of Pauline's. Getting exciting! Our 5 classes per week will start the 17, 18 and 19th of September. 

As I was writing this, Russell returned from the Mairie's. The ladies in the office realized they needed to address our issue right away and took him upstairs to meet a "man" working there in charge of this. (He had never met a man at the Mairie's yet after going over there 10 times.) Russell didn't know if it was the Mairie. He could have been the deputy or who knows, Russell described him and it did not sound like the description I saw on the website. Maybe we will meet him before long. The man spoke in French, understood Russell's letter and said they will put up barricades tomorrow in front of our house to keep the cars away. That's for Friday. Let's hope they come Friday. Our English curriculum says it all, "Let's Go!"